show recap: conan o'brien at radio city

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 02, 2010 |

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Chicken-legged comedian and beloved personality Conan O'Brien took his "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television" tour to New York last night, and I was fortunate enough to nab a seat for one of the extremely popular and sold-out dates at Radio City. It was no surprise the night was full of guest stars, musical interludes, and old, familiar faces like Walker, The Masturbating Bear, and of course, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog. The whole thing was a glory lap in the extended vacation of a man who suffered not for money or opportunity, but for a tarnished relationship he spent years upon years cultivating. "This is the first time anyone has ever paid to see me" O'Brien joked, and although the sentiment was incredibly true, and funny, it also raised an important question: was it worth it?

Let's look at the evidence:

Well, for one, Conan did a song with Vampire Weekend:

And Colbert and Stewart stopped by for a dance-off:

And Conan did about twenty minutes of The Walker Texas Ranger Lever The Chuck Norris Rural Policeman Handle, including guest pulls from Paul Rudd, John Krazniainigwwlnwfg from the Office (sp?), and Bill Hader (AS STEFON! COME ON!). The last one Conan reserved for himself, because, well, watch:

Personally, I believe the night was kind of touching... seeing the support for O'Brien, the boos for his various legal battles, and the rehashing of all his old bits... great stuff. Some disagreed, calling Conan more of a hypocrite for harping on the situation further and displaying a cynicism he warned against in his final Tonight Show bow. See the show... and draw your own conclusions. -joe puglisi